COVID-19 initial lessons learnt COVID-19 initial lessons learnt | Introduction Introduction For the social housing sector, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the subsequent lockdown, presented significant challenges. Our customers are some of the most vulnerable people in society and they are likely to feel the health, economic and societal effects most keenly, both now, and for some time to come. The G15, like other organisations, were able to call upon their We hope this report, which summarises the outcomes of those business continuity plans to manage the financial and operational discussions, demonstrates the value of the homes and services impacts. However, we also had to continue to ensure homes were housing associations provide - particularly in the worst of times. safe and had to meet increased demand for services, including We also hope it serves as a practical guide for other housing providing the specialised care and support that our customers rely associations and to help the sector as a whole be better-prepared upon, often on a daily basis. for any future spikes in coronavirus infections (or, for that matter, any major shock), so that together, we can continue to provide Tough decisions had to be taken; services were scaled back or sustainable homes and communities for those in society who need moved online and others had to stop entirely; developments them most. were put on hold and most of our staff had to switch to working remotely. Communicating these changes to our customers, and to On a personal note, I would like to thank everyone who joined our staff, was a crucial aspect of our response. the meetings for taking an active part in our lively, open and very informative discussions. I was delighted that everyone was willing The G15’s COVID-19 Lessons Learnt group, established as the to share their experiences (and what they had learnt) during the lockdown in England began to be eased, provided a forum for coronavirus pandemic. This shows how collaboration between members to share their experiences during the pandemic. the G15 members can help improve the way housing associations While we all took slightly different approaches, there were many support their customers and it is why my organisation, Hyde, is similarities, enabling us to collectively identify what worked (and committed to playing an active role in groups such as this one what didn’t) and the positive outcomes were generated. We also in the future. discussed the long term implications for our organisations and our customers. Susan Stockwell "We want to help the social housing sector Chair, G15 COVID-19 Lessons Learnt Group to be better-prepared for future shocks, Chief Customer Officer, the Hyde Group so we can continue to provide homes for those in society who need them most." 2 COVID-19 initial lessons learnt | Business Continuity Planning Business Continuity Planning Keeping our customers safe in their homes While all of the G15 members had business continuity plans (BCPs) in place before the Keeping residents safe in their homes was obviously our priority before lockdown and so coronavirus pandemic, it is fair to say plans had not been a priority and tended to focus maintaining repairs services, with residents self-isolating, was a key consideration during on local issues (such as an office being closed for a time due to a fire or cyber attack), or a the pandemic. significant proportion of staff not being able to work due to illness. All G15 members continued to provide emergency repairs and health and safety-related Some members had started planning for the possible impact of COVID-19 in January compliance work (such as fire safety inspections, boiler servicing and electrical work) and and February but the rapid, and widespread, changes to operations and services caused some also managed to provide essential repair services, albeit at reduced levels. With by the lockdown meant BCPs had to be revised at short notice, often without thorough caretaking teams and estate managers classed as essential workers we were also able testing and validation. For example, while some had trialled individual teams working to keep communal areas clear and bin stores clean. Of course, all of these services were from home, they had not, understandably, tested having 99% of staff working remotely. backed by new risk assessments and method statements designed to protect operatives and residents. Everyone established a COVID-19 group to implement and manage BCPs during the lockdown. Some members suggested that having a ‘Gold, Silver and Bronze’ hierarchy (Gold being strategic, Silver, tactical and Bronze, operational) allowed decisions to be taken much more quickly, without senior management approval, making plans more agile and responsive to changing Government guidance and customers’ needs, something that many members look likely to consider in the future. Some common themes emerged during our discussions: maintaining the safety and wellbeing of our customers and staff; considering the changing needs of our customers; adjusting to remote working en masse; service delivery; and communicating and engaging with both our customers and staff. Overall, the G15 members surveyed AGREED their BCP had been 100% effective 3.7 Strongly Strongly disagree agree 3 COVID-19 initial lessons learnt | Business Continuity Planning Supporting our most vulnerable residents Case study Our most vulnerable customers include residents in sheltered and supported housing. With most scheme managers working remotely, collectively, the G15 made made tens of The Hyde Group: The Flying Squad “It’s been a great learning experience and thousands of welfare calls to residents who were self-isolating, to enable to continue to Hyde’s Flying Squad was established to address the challenge highlighted the struggle people go through to provide emotional, as well as practical support, such as deliveries of food and medicine. of workload fluctuations as a result of COVID-19, matching pay their rent on top of feeding their children.” Our teams also prioritised daily cleaning of communal areas, to minimise infection risk. employees with spare capacity to over-stretched teams. Thirty- one members of staff were drawn from across the business, from Members reported that Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), particularly noise nuisance, rose As well has helping ensure services were maintained, staff the Customer team to the Risk and Governance team. They were considerably during lockdown. Switching to using telephone, text and WhatsApp did benefitted from having the opportunity to learn new skills, allocated to Resident Services, Income, Customer Operations, enable our teams to manage issues, although we agreed that these services are best broaden their networks and to gain more understanding of other Digital, Hyde Foundation and Stakeholder and Investor Relations. delivered with employees on the ground. parts of the business, particularly frontline teams. Additionally, We were also acutely aware the lockdown created new challenges for people experiencing Between mid-April and the end of June, the Flying Squad provided the teams that were helped out benefitted from working with domestic abuse. An important aspect of the information and communications to more than 1,100 hours of support, with a peak in May, avoiding people from other parts of the business, with different skills customers therefore included signposting for more help, such as confidential helplines the need for temporary staff (and the associated costs). and perspectives. and safe spaces. “The flying squad enabled members of my team to gain a better understanding of other parts of Hyde in a more ‘hands-on’ role. It was a very positive experience and a great use of staff time.” 4 COVID-19 initial lessons learnt | Business Continuity Planning Providing financial support and advice Case study A significant proportion of the G15’s households are in lower income brackets; many of Network Homes: The first virtual resident panel meeting took place in April and our customers are employed in some of the most hardest hit sectors of the economy Moving resident engagement online went extremely well; there were a few teething problems but (often on temporary or ‘zero-hour’ contracts). This meant financial worries would be at the training was provided to panel members, so most were able to forefront of people’s minds. When Network homes rolled out Microsoft (MS) Teams in 2019, as take part without issues. Network Housing has since held the July part of its Innovative ways of working programme, it was envisaged meeting online and hosted its first virtual pop-up event for all Along with taking calls from customers, all G15 members took a proactive approach, as a collaboration tool for employees, with limited external use. residents in June. identifying those they felt were at risk and contacting them to provide reassurance, and COVID-19 changed all that, with collaborative working software to work with them to ensure they could continue to pay their rent. Advice ranged from playing a vital role in resident engagement throughout the More events are planned, including resident meetings at some of reviewing finances, to helping customers apply for benefits (often people were applying lockdown, when all face-to-face activity had to be paused. Network Homes’ larger schemes; more pop-up events; and a series for the first time) and providing access to employment and training. The primary aim was of themed meetings giving residents the opportunity to discuss to ensure customers maintained their tenancies and kept a roof over their heads. Network Homes launched its new business objective, Strengthening issues such as equality, diversity and inclusion, community and residents trust in us at the beginning of 2020. A survey in March sustainability. The Resident Engagement team is also organising revealed residents wanted integrity and openness from Network virtual event to engage with harder-to-reach residents. The success Homes, and would like to have more ways of giving feedback via of its approach has led Network Homes to commit to using a blend digital surveys.